Cleo Fox is a character from the TV show Once Upon A Time (2011-), played by American actress Rya Kihlstedt. Although she only appears in one episode (5x20 'Firebird'), she has a large impact on the main character, Emma Swan.
Costume:
Because Cleo has such a big influence on Emma, the two characters dress very similarly. Cleo's style is casual, as she usually dresses in a brown leather jacket, jeans, and boots.
As her 'armour', her jacket is the most important element of her costume, influencing Emma to get her own red leather jacket.
History:
Cleo is a bail-bonds woman who tracks Emma down at a cafe in Maine in 2009. She knows Emma has stolen from convenience stores in Phoenix, Arizona, and if she gets Emma to appear in court, only then will she get paid. However, Cleo overhears Emma telling a waitress that she is looking for anyone who can give her any information about the baby who was left at the cafe 26 years ago. Cleo is intelligent enough to realise that Emma is in fact the baby.
Although Cleo's own past is unclear, her tough exterior signals that she could have had a difficult childhood, much like Emma's own past. However, she is sympathetic to Emma, before revealing she knows about Emma's crimes and how she skipped bail. Similar to Emma in the pilot episode, Cleo does not worry when Emma tries to run, as she has already clamped her car.
Pilot:
Firebird:
Cleo takes Emma back to her hotel room, where she leaves her handcuffed as she goes to take a shower. However, Emma breaks free and finds Cleo's wallet so she can steal some money. In the wallet, she finds a picture of a little girl, labelled 'Tasha, winter 1999'. She believes this is Cleo's daughter. As Emma is about to leave, she discovers Cleo has access to a tracking website, and decides to try and use this to find her parents. Cleo initially panics when she finds Emma missing from the handcuffs, but is confused when she sees her at the laptop. Emma agrees to go with Cleo to Phoenix if she will take her to the courthouse, as she has found they have a file on her, to which Cleo reluctantly agrees.
At the courthouse, Emma is frustrated when they give her the file, as it contains no new information. Cleo tells her about her jacket and how it is her 'armour', allowing her to shield her emotions and be protected from the world. She insists that they have done all they can and that Emma must stick to her end of the deal and go with her to Phoenix. Emma agrees but later sneaks out of the hotel in the middle of the night to break into the courthouse, and look for more information. Cleo finds her here, and is angry as the police pull up, forcing the two of them to escape the courthouse through a window Cleo smashes the glass out of.
They run, but Cleo eventually falls to the ground, as Emma discovers she was badly cut by broken glass from the window. Emma is prepared to turn herself in so Cleo can get help, and return to her daughter, but Cleo will not allow her to. She reveals to Emma that she gave up her daughter, Tasha, and that she took the picture from across the street ten years ago, which is why she is so sympathetic towards Emma's own search for her parents. Cleo urges Emma to let go, of her and of her search for her parents so that she will no longer be hurt or haunted by her past. Emma does let Cleo go, and runs away, avoiding the police.
It is later seen Cleo died. Emma finds her daughter, Tasha Morris, at the clothing store where she works, and tells her all about Cleo. Here, the influence of Cleo on Emma becomes clear. Emma buys a red leather jacket, the one which becomes her 'armour' and her character's signature trademark on the show. She also becomes a bail-bonds woman just as Cleo had been. Because of Cleo becoming a mentor-like figure to her, Emma changes her lifestyle, finally settling down after years of running, which eventually leads her back home to her parents.
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